NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 437 



a large kind, with yellowish spots on the throat, the other much 

 smaller. How far they go up it is impossible to say without a 

 much more detailed map than we possess, the one given by the 

 author in vol. i. being the most useless that can be imagined ; so 

 that it is by no means easy to say within a hundred miles or so 

 where the writer is, to say nothing of his beasts and birds. So 

 far as we can make out, these Seals (Otarice no doubt) go up to 

 one of the many places named Concepcion ; this particular one 

 being in about 28° S. lat. Thence Mr. White crossed the inter- 

 vening land to Itapua on the Eiver Parana. Thence he ascended 

 the Iguazu, and endeavoured to reach the celebrated Falls, but 

 only a distant glimpse of them could be obtained ; and he was 

 obliged to take on trust (which he does most implicitly) the 

 assertion of his companion that they "quite rival or exceed 

 Niagara in volume." The great unexplored marshy lake, Ibera, 

 is spoken of in befittingly awesome terms (Omne ignotum pro 

 magnified), and the author returns to Buenos Ayres by steamer. 



The second volume is an improvement upon the first ; but 

 both would have been vastly better if they had been written in 

 plain English, and compressed into one-third of their present 

 bulk. 



Studies in Nidderdale. By Joseph Lucas, F.G.S., F.M.S. 8vo, 

 pp. 292. London : Elliot Stock. 1882. 



During the progress of the Government Survey of this York- 

 shire dale (1867 — 1872), in which he was professionally engaged, 

 Mr. Lucas found time to make numerous interesting notes on 

 zoology, botany, archaeology, etymology of place names, and 

 other matters unconnected with the geology of the district, but 

 having a bearing on its history, and these notes he has now 

 collected in the volume before us. 



We cannot say that they are well arranged, and the "In- 

 troductory Commentary," which appears to us a contradiction 

 in terms, is an awkward mode of dealing with notes which 

 apparently came to hand after the book had been printed, and 

 wbich would have been better in an Appendix, with an indication 

 of the pages to which the new notes belong. It is impossible 

 to read the commentary by way of introduction, for the reader 

 cannot appreciate the value of comments until he has perused 



